Backfill: Caulking, Canadian Style

When I was first asked to write occasional
articles on construction practices
from a Canadian (translated: cold) perspective
for NEB, I couldn't help but
laugh to myself. I realized that the
northern regions of the U.S. were having
the same problems as we in
Canada—that is, being smothered by
the mainstream, well-financed, glossyphoto-
and-expensive-graphics information
machine that projects temperate
America's way of building things as
North America's model. In Canada,
we've been fighting California dream
homes for years.
But, finally, one specific mid-
American practice has received a strong
reaction from public utilities and provincial
energy departments clear across
Canada. In various forms, the message is
clear: Do not follow the advice of American
publications on how to apply caulk
to residences.
The